Hourbrook or Timing?
Timing is a native Mac time tracker that records apps, documents and websites automatically and keeps them on your Mac unless you turn on sync.
No download yet: join the waitlist and get one email when it's ready.
Join the waitlistA fair comparison
Where Timing is the better choice comes first. Facts about Timing are from its own site, read on 4 November 2026.
Choose Timing if you want
- Years of refinement as a native Mac app, with deep reports.
- Rich export formats: PDF, XLSX, CSV, HTML.
- Keeps activity local by default, as Hourbrook does.
Where Hourbrook is different
- Hourbrook's activity never syncs, on any plan; Timing's sync uploads it when you turn it on.
- Invoices, budgets, planning and a team view are built in.
- Free during the beta; Timing has a 30-day trial.
- The MCP server is built into the app, and waiting on an agent counts as work.
Side by side
| What | Hourbrook | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Tracks your work by itself | Yes: the app, window title and page in front, every 2 s | Yes: apps, documents and websites |
| Where that activity is kept | On your Mac, never uploaded; only entries you log sync | On your Mac unless you turn on sync (then Google Cloud, Frankfurt) |
| Free plan | Everything is free during the beta | No; a 30-day trial |
| Lowest paid price, per person a month | None yet; prices after the beta aren't final | $10 (Professional, monthly); its yearly price wasn't shown on its page |
| Platforms | Mac; web for synced time; Windows in the works | Mac; a web app |
| Invoices | Yes, from logged hours | No; reports export, GrandTotal on Connect |
| Team planning | Planning and capacity for teams | Shared projects on Connect; no scheduling |
| AI assistant or MCP server | MCP server on your Mac, built into the app | MCP on the Connect plan |
| Waiting on AI agents | Counted as your work, up to 3 h | — |
| Certifications | None yet; it's a beta | Not stated on its site |
“—” means no, or nothing we could find on their site. All comparisons
Coming from Timing
There's no direct import from Timing yet. Its CSV export is on our list.
Hourbrook starts filling in your day from the first hour it runs, so the brook is there to pick from by the end of it.
What you'd be switching to
A small item in the menu bar, and a main window with your day, week and tasks. A native Mac app, with everything it learns kept on the Mac.
Sources
Read on 4 November 2026. If something has changed, reply to any email from us and we'll correct it.